Scott Harrison to fight Liam Walsh for WBO European lightweight title

Former world champion Scott Harrison will fight WBO European lightweight champion Liam Walsh on April 20.

The 35-year-old Scot, who has only fought twice since 2005 having spent two and a half years in a Spanish jail following an assault conviction, will take on Walsh at Wembley Arena on the undercard of Nathan Cleverly's world title defence.

In a statement released by promoter Frank Warren, Harrison said: "Walsh is a good young fighter, he's fast and he's ambitious and this is the fight that will show all the doubters that I'm back and I mean business.

"I've had two wins since making my comeback and this is the first high-profile fight against a young hungry fighter which will test me and show me how far I'm off challenging for a world title.

"A win will give me an important ranking in the top 10 of the WBO so this is must win fight for me.

"I'm on my way back to the world title, it's going to be a hard road with everything I've gone through, but it will be an incredible story when I've achieved it."

Harrison relinquished his WBO featherweight title after his well-publicised personal problems and difficulties making the weight kept him out of the ring.

Harrison vowed to appeal against another Spanish assault conviction late last year.

The unbeaten Walsh, 26, also holds the Commonwealth super-featherweight belt following and was due to challenge world champion Ricky Burns in December before being injured in a road accident.

"Ive got a lot of respect for Scott," said Walsh. "I remember watching his fights years ago against Manuel Medina, shouting at the TV and cheering him on.

"So it seems a little surreal that I'm now going to be fighting him.

"On the other hand, that was years ago and this is a crucial fight for me to win on the way to a world title.

"I don't believe he is the same fighter he once was. I'm certainly not overawed by him."